Vanguard Group Inc. Has $2.25 Billion Stock Position in Principal Financial Group, Inc. $PFG

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its holdings in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) by 0.8% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 27,131,356 shares of the company’s stock after selling 213,708 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 0.12% of Principal Financial Group worth $2,249,461,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of PFG. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in Principal Financial Group by 2.4% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 17,413 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,444,000 after purchasing an additional 401 shares during the period. Cidel Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Principal Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $205,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group in the third quarter worth approximately $279,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in Principal Financial Group by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 8,424 shares of the company’s stock valued at $698,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its holdings in Principal Financial Group by 3.0% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 43,722 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,625,000 after purchasing an additional 1,263 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.08% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Deanna D. Strable-Soethout sold 9,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.12, for a total transaction of $884,616.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 144,168 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,713,260.16. This represents a 6.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 24,965 shares of company stock worth $2,352,460 over the last quarter. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Principal Financial Group Stock Down 0.1%

PFG stock opened at $92.38 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $91.30 and its 200 day moving average is $85.04. The stock has a market cap of $20.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $68.39 and a 1-year high of $97.88.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The company reported $2.19 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by ($0.03). Principal Financial Group had a return on equity of 14.68% and a net margin of 9.74%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.94 earnings per share. Principal Financial Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.010-9.260 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Principal Financial Group, Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th will be paid a $0.80 dividend. This is a boost from Principal Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 11th. Principal Financial Group’s payout ratio is presently 60.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PFG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $103.00 price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group in a report on Monday, January 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Principal Financial Group from $74.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $93.00 target price on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Principal Financial Group has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $93.22.

About Principal Financial Group

Principal Financial Group, commonly known as Principal, is a global financial services company headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. The firm provides a broad range of retirement, investment management and insurance solutions for individual, employer and institutional clients. Its core businesses include retirement plan services and recordkeeping, asset management, and life and disability insurance, supported by distribution through employers, financial advisors and direct channels.

On the retirement side, Principal offers 401(k) and other workplace retirement plans, individual retirement accounts and annuity products designed to help clients accumulate and manage retirement savings.